1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to validating a proper configuration in computer data repositories and more particularly relates to validating a logical volume configuration.
2. Description of the Related Art
Computers in a computer system often share common resources such as communications channels and storage subsystems. The computers, often referred to as host computers, typically access one or more resources over a network. Multiple host computers may access a resource or the resource may be associated with one or more specific host computers. Each host computer is configured with a host operating system such as Linux, AIX, OS/360 and the like.
Some resources such as storage subsystems may include one or more storage devices. Each storage device may further include one or more logical volumes. Each logical volume may be configured to be compatible with a specified host operating system, and may be incompatible with other operating systems. A host operating system accessing a logical volume not configured for the host operating system may result in failures, errors, or poor performance.
FIG. 1 is an illustration of one embodiment of a computer system 100. The system 100 includes one or more host computers 110, a network 115, and one or more storage subsystems 130 each comprising a controller module 120 and one or more storage devices 125. In one embodiment, the system 100 is organized as a storage area network. The storage devices 125 may be magnetic tape drives, hard disk drives, redundant arrays of independent disks (“RAID”) arrays, optical drives, and the like. Each storage device 125 includes storage media configured to store data. Each controller module 120 controls and manages one or more storage devices 125. The host computer 110 may access the storage device 125 by communicating requests to the controller module 120 of the storage subsystem 130, causing the controller module 120 to store and retrieve data in response to the requests.
FIG. 2 illustrates one embodiment of a storage subsystem 130. Each storage device 125 comprises one or more logical volumes 205 as is well known by those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, a host computer 110 is associated with a logical volume 205 and uses the associated logical volume 205 to store and retrieve data. A storage device 125 such as the first storage device 125a may include a plurality of logical volumes 205 such as the first and second logical volumes 205a, 205b. A logical volume 205 may also reside on one or more storage devices 125. For example, the second logical volume 205b is depicted as residing on the first storage device 125a and the second storage device 125c. 
The host computer's 110 operating system or host operating system organizes data on a logical volume 205 using a file structure or similar organizational structure. Different operating systems or different versions of operating systems may have different file structures. Each logical volume 205 is configured to support at least one file structure. In addition, each logical volume 205 may store metadata on the storage media to designate physical and logical divisions of the storage media such as partitions, data blocks, volumes, and the like. The host operating system uses the metadata to organize a file structure on the logical volume 205.
The configuration of the metadata and other partitions on the storage device 125 may be referred to as the logical volume's 205 host type. The logical volume 205 must configured to be compatible with a host operating system's file structure. Yet the host computer 110 typically does not have information about the host type that an operator has configured the storage system 130 to assign to the logical volume 205. In addition, the computer system 100 may include host computers 110 configured with a plurality of host operating system and logical volumes 205 configured to be compatible with a plurality of host operating systems.
Unfortunately, in such a system 100, the storage subsystem 130 may be directed to associate a host computer 110 with an incompatible logical volume 205 such as the first logical volume 205a. The storage subsystem 130 may associate the first incompatible logical volume 205a to the host computer 110 because the storage subsystem 130 cannot determine if the first logical volume's 205a host type and the host operating system are compatible. As a result, data loss or other operational problems may occur.
From the foregoing discussion, it should be apparent that a need exists for an apparatus, system, and method that validate whether a logical volume 205 is configured for a host operating system and that mitigates mis-configuration of the logical volume. Beneficially, such an apparatus, system, and method would prevent the association of host computers 110 to mis-configured logical volumes 205.